Just Mercy

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“The Innocence Project, Continued: Wrongful Convictions from 2014 to the Present”

Students will dive deeper into research of other wrongful convictions, similar to Walter McMillian’s, and present their findings to the class, while aiming to answer this question: Do we live in a more just world since the publication of Just Mercy in 2014?

Sharing similar goals with Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative, The Innocence Project is a nonprofit that “works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone.”

In this activity, you will research recent cases of individuals with wrongful convictions that were overturned due to The Innocence Project. Keeping in mind the core themes of Just Mercy—all having to do with Justice, Mercy, and the effect of Institutionalized Racism on both—you will work with a small group to present the facts of a case of your choosing to the class.

• Break up into small groups of 2-3 students. In your small group, select one of the cases listed on The Innocence Project’s website, profiling individuals who had their wrongful convictions overturned.
• On a poster, outline the basic facts of the case: the person who was convicted, their age/race/geographical location, their alleged crime, and the reason that their conviction was overturned. You may also elect to include images—newspaper clippings, photos of the individual in the present-day—to bring your discussion of this person to life.
• Returning to the core themes of Just Mercy, present to the class not only your findings regarding the basic facts of the case, but also how this person’s case fits into a larger conversation about Justice, Mercy, and Institutionalized Racism.

After the presentations, the whole class should engage in a discussion that explores these questions: Since Just Mercy was published in 2014, what progress has been made toward greater equality? Do we live in a more just and equitable world than we did then? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: The discussion portion of this assignment—particularly the question “Do we live in a more just society?”—has the potential to spark heated emotions in the classroom. Review the tips and advice in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning’s “Managing Difficult Classroom Discussions” to help guide the conversation in a productive, meaningful way.